ASUS Eee PC from Taipei - 901 and 1000 are alive!

COMPUTEX TAIPEI 2008 With the major boost to the sub-notebook market with ASUS' release of the Eee 900 in 2008, they have to step up their game as the other sharks head in for the feeding frenzy.

The 901 brings us some newer features to the classic 900 design including the new Intel Atom processor, SSD storage up to 20GB (Linux) and 12GB (Windows XP).

One noted feature of the new Eee PC series is the super Hybrid engine concept that controls stepping of the Atom processor to increase battery life up to 7.8 hours.

The Eee PC 1000 and 1000H are the new 10-inch versions, sporting the Atom processor and SSD's of up to 40GB (Linux, Eee PC 1000) as well an 80GB standard HDD (XP, Eee PC 1000H).

The keyboard is purportedly 92% the size of a standard keyboard and the battery life has been increased using a 6-cell design that helps boost lifespan.

A quick boot comparison with the 900 and the 901 shows that the Atom is noticeably slower, which could be due to a number of factors and we hope to be able to bring you benchmarks in the near future.

ASUS still has one more ace up their sleeve with the E-stick! Essentially it's a Wii-mote for the PC... and that's it. Useful for navigation and gaming, it works just like a Wii-mote with an 8-way d-stick, 2 buttons and accelerometers to detect gestures.

ASUS brought out their CEO to speak to the assembled press and talked about developing the Eee PC as a family. They basically want everyone to have an Eee PC as a second PC in the next few years. An ambitious goal but they have show they are listening to their consumers by releasing the new models.

Also of interest is the multiple color-ways and designs available for each of the models. "Sakura", "Sweet Pea", "Urban Metropolis", "White Peony", "Pearl White" and "Fine Ebony".